Evaluation of Possible Flight Strategies
359
implemented in a python script based on Libsolver and Stratified K-Folds for model
selection. To avoid the preference to one independent variable due to different scales,
we normalized the independent variable such that their mean is zero, and their standard
deviation is one. We used ten flights for each obstacle condition to avoid statistical bias.
3 Results
We wanted to investigate how the choice of bumblebees depends on the obstacle condition. However, the goal was not to investigate the actual sensory cues but to predict the bumblebee decision based on measurable quantities, which are transferable to
autonomous flying platforms.
3.1 Influence of the Distance on the Decision
The distance between the entrance gate and obstacle is roughly the same distance between
bee and obstacle when the bee sees the obstacle the first time. Any behavior might be
depending on this initial contact. This distance is known for all 411 recorded flights,
without further video evaluation. Therefore, the bees’ preference for a specific evasion
maneuver depending on the distance between gate and obstacle was investigated to
get a first impression on the general behavior. Bumblebees tend to evade vertically
for large distances between gate and obstacle, while they tend to evade horizontally
otherwise (Table 1). In two cases, the bumblebees did both fly over and around the
obstacle. Therefore, those two flights are not considered as vertical or horizontal evasion.
Nonetheless, both flights are counted to the total number of flights, because the defined
requirements were fulfilled.
Table 2. Summary of the choices made by bumblebees in different situations. The distance d
between entrance gate and obstacle is given as well as the width w times height h of the obstacle
in cm. Finally, the number (#) of horizontal evasions and vertical ones are depicted together with
the total number (#) of flights. The proportional amount of choices is also presented
Distance D
[cm]
Size W × h
[cm × cm]
# Vert.
Evasions
[−]
# Hor.
Evasions
[−]
# Total [−] Prop. Vert.
Evasions
[%]
Prop. Hor.
Evasions
[%]
5,0
25 × 25
14
71
85
16
84
15,0
20 × 25
2
60
62
3
97
15,0
25 × 20
23
76
99
23
77
20,0
25 × 20
26
24
50
52
48
37,5
20 × 25
79
3
84
94
4
40,0
25 × 25
31
0
31
100
0
359
implemented in a python script based on Libsolver and Stratified K-Folds for model
selection. To avoid the preference to one independent variable due to different scales,
we normalized the independent variable such that their mean is zero, and their standard
deviation is one. We used ten flights for each obstacle condition to avoid statistical bias.
3 Results
We wanted to investigate how the choice of bumblebees depends on the obstacle condition. However, the goal was not to investigate the actual sensory cues but to predict the bumblebee decision based on measurable quantities, which are transferable to
autonomous flying platforms.
3.1 Influence of the Distance on the Decision
The distance between the entrance gate and obstacle is roughly the same distance between
bee and obstacle when the bee sees the obstacle the first time. Any behavior might be
depending on this initial contact. This distance is known for all 411 recorded flights,
without further video evaluation. Therefore, the bees’ preference for a specific evasion
maneuver depending on the distance between gate and obstacle was investigated to
get a first impression on the general behavior. Bumblebees tend to evade vertically
for large distances between gate and obstacle, while they tend to evade horizontally
otherwise (Table 1). In two cases, the bumblebees did both fly over and around the
obstacle. Therefore, those two flights are not considered as vertical or horizontal evasion.
Nonetheless, both flights are counted to the total number of flights, because the defined
requirements were fulfilled.
Table 2. Summary of the choices made by bumblebees in different situations. The distance d
between entrance gate and obstacle is given as well as the width w times height h of the obstacle
in cm. Finally, the number (#) of horizontal evasions and vertical ones are depicted together with
the total number (#) of flights. The proportional amount of choices is also presented
Distance D
[cm]
Size W × h
[cm × cm]
# Vert.
Evasions
[−]
# Hor.
Evasions
[−]
# Total [−] Prop. Vert.
Evasions
[%]
Prop. Hor.
Evasions
[%]
5,0
25 × 25
14
71
85
16
84
15,0
20 × 25
2
60
62
3
97
15,0
25 × 20
23
76
99
23
77
20,0
25 × 20
26
24
50
52
48
37,5
20 × 25
79
3
84
94
4
40,0
25 × 25
31
0
31
100
0